I know people have hung on the PCT, but what about the JMT. I was looking to doing this Trail in late July and early into August.

Thoughts about this would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks

07-02-2012, 19:27

Ray Rippel

John Muir Trail: Late July

Good day,

Your biggest challenge will be to get the appropriate wilderness permit. If you are going solo it should be realatively easy to get one. Regardless, if you intend to go southboand (by far the better way to hike it), you'll need to get the permit at the Wilderness Center in Yosemite Valley.

There was also a very substantial tree blow-down this last winter that has affected the trail, although much of that has been cleared (and even more will by the end of July).

It is a GREAT hike and I highly recommend it. Because of the need for a permit, the fact that it rarely brushes up against civilization, and for some other reasons the most critical element to a successful hike is a good plan. For that, I recommend you begin at JMTBook.com.

You will need a bear canister, some resupply boxes sent ahead, and the ability to hike over the high passes and get below treeline in a day. There are segments of the trail you'll find yourself becoming nervous as you go through mile after mile of open talus, scree, granite, etc.

You can hang all the way unless the unexpected happens and for some reason you have to stop above treeline. For that reason it would be good to have some sort of pad with you. A 1/2 or 3/4 length UQ and a torso length pad would be a good compromise.

The permit will be easy to get if you walk in midweek and have the flexibility to hang out all morning in the permit office. Read the Yosemite web page - you have three opportunities per day to get a permit. If you go in when the office opens, they might have a walk in permit available for that day. Wait until 10 am and they might have some abandoned, formerly reserved permits come available. Then wait til 11 am if neither of those happen, and you'll probably get a walk in permit for the following day.

Follow the food storage rules to the letter and don't try to start hiking a day early or a day later than the permit says, and you're golden.

Read up on elevation sickness before you go, too. Good to know what to do about that.

07-07-2012, 22:56

usok

Great advise here from Ray and Lori, thanks for this.

09-18-2012, 18:44

lvnv1212

Just got back from the JMT a week ago, and would have had no problem hanging the whole time...but since I was hiking with a ground person, I chose to go the traditional tent method. Kind regret that now!

11-14-2012, 10:06

Wolf

Thanks

I'm new to the Forum and was wondering on similar things...
not necessarily the JMT. How do you prepare for a trip when you know you can't hang all the nights? Do you lower the tarp to the ground and carry a very light pad to sleep on?

11-14-2012, 13:49

mountain_man_mike

It's just one guy's way of going about it, but I always bring along a scaled down Z rest pad. I usually don't have to go to the ground so I use it as a "porch mat" but can use it as it was designed to be used when biting the bullet. Depending on the terrain I may or may not use the hammock as a sheet to sleep on, but I won't risk damage to it. The top quilt is next with as you described the tarp lowered. The tarp I made has beaks on it like Ray Jardine shows on his website and adapts easily. It's not often when I have to go to the ground and although I can adapt, it makes me grumpier than usual.:D

01-30-2013, 20:47

pat9381

The bear canister is new to me. I read about it on one of the NPS sites but they did not give a weight or volume. Do you know?

01-31-2013, 14:25

mountain_man_mike

2 Attachment(s)

Bear canisters (like a lot of gear) come in different sizes and weights. There are carbon fiber ones that are a lot lighter. As with all things that lighten your load, your wallet is the first thing that gets lightened. I use a Bear Vault BV500, which weighs in at 2 lbs, 9 oz. empty. It does multi task as a chair. I recommend using a sit pad because the Bear Vault is basically an oversized child proof capped container and it numbs the hiney. Depending on how you pack it the BV500 can hold up to 9 days on the trail. I have not tried packing for anything longer but nine days of dried at home food was a snug fit. Garcia has made quality cans for years and as mentioned before, carbon fiber ones more recently. Our troop got a discount price on them years ago, but expect to pay $70 - $90 for one. Other companies are similar but not exact and all offer smaller versions for the weekend treks.

01-31-2013, 14:53

breyman

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountain_man_mike

Bear canisters (like a lot of gear) come in different sizes and weights. There are carbon fiber ones that are a lot lighter. As with all things that lighten your load, your wallet is the first thing that gets lightened. I use a Bear Vault BV500, which weighs in at 2 lbs, 9 oz. empty. It does multi task as a chair. I recommend using a sit pad because the Bear Vault is basically an oversized child proof capped container and it numbs the hiney. Depending on how you pack it the BV500 can hold up to 9 days on the trail. I have not tried packing for anything longer but nine days of dried at home food was a snug fit. Garcia has made quality cans for years and as mentioned before, carbon fiber ones more recently. Our troop got a discount price on them years ago, but expect to pay $70 - $90 for one. Other companies are similar but not exact and all offer smaller versions for the weekend treks.

+1 on BearVault. I have a Bearikade (carbon fiber) and it's a good bit lighter, but also 2-3x more expensive. The BearVault is a great balance between weight and price, unless you plan on using it all the time. if so, get a Bearikade.